Western Sahara: 50 years of exile and occupation by Ken Ritchie, 2025
“This small book charts the history of the conflict and the manner in which Morocco has defied the UN and blocked all moves which might lead to a just settlement. It also examines the international community’s failure to uphold the rules it has created for itself and, indeed, the willingness of some to put their own economic interests before the democratic and humanitarian principles they claim to value. The book, however, also tells the story of people who have steadfastly refused to accept the authority of an illegal occupier and who continue to demand the right to self-determination.”
This book offers an accessible and concise account of Western Sahara’s last 50 years, documenting how a former Spanish colony was cheated out of its promised independence following the 1975 invasion by Morocco and Mauritania. Despite being referred to as ‘Africa’s last colony’, the conflict remains largely unknown; even politically engaged global citizens are often surprised to learn that there is a region in Africa currently and actively facing gross human rights violations at the hands of its coloniser.
Western Sahara is Morocco’s best-kept secret, and the UK Labour government’s public support of Morocco’s autonomy plan in June 2025 (spoiler: the “autonomy” part does not extend to Western Sahara) has only further buried the plight of the Saharawi people beneath layers of bureaucracy and, quite frankly, bullshit. Against this backdrop, Ritchie’s book feels both timely and necessary.
The book ultimately encourages the UK to take a stronger stance and play a “more prominent role in the search for peace” (vi), beginning with the most basic and urgent step: raising awareness and educating ourselves about the conflict. Importantly, it does this without relying on overly emotive language or moral grandstanding. Instead, the events are laid out in a factual, objective way - not to persuade the reader to choose a particular “side”, but to clearly show what is happening.
